Although it's an unsure time for public education in Arkansas, consolidation isn't likely to affect the Hector School District, the smallest district in Pope County.

"The strenghth of our district lies within the people who live here," said Superintendent Eric Armour. "We have a good community that supports our school."

The district has 700 students enrolled currently in kindergarten through 12th grade, and, according to a projection done during the recent Arkansas Statewide Educational Facilities Assessment, enrollment should continue to increase over the next few years.

According to that study, the projected enrollment for 2013 is 742, an increase of approximately 40 students.

Students in the Hector district scored well on standardized tests last year, maintaining higher scores in four out of the six categories than any other school in Pope County.

At the fourth-grade level, math and literacy scores were the highest in Pope County, with math ranking at eighth statewide.

Benchmark test results for Hector fourth-graders were high in both math and literacy, with 93 percent scoring proficient or advanced in math and 90 percent scoring proficient or advanced in literacy.

Sixth- and eighth-graders also took the exams, and 41 percent of sixth-graders scored proficient or advanced in math, compared to 35 percent of eighth-graders. In literacy, 56 percent of sixth-graders scored proficient or advanced, while 64 percent of eighth-graders scored proficient or advanced.

Students enrolled in algebra I, geometry and 11th-grade literacy participated in end-of-course exams. Fifty-two percent of students tested scored proficient or advanced on the algebra I exam, while 43 percent of those tested scored proficient or advanced in geometry. Fifty-six percent of 11th-grade literacy students scored proficient on that exam, with none scoring in the advanced category.

On the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, administered to fifth- and ninth-graders, 68 percent of fifth-graders scored in the 50th percentile or above in reading comprehension, compared to 80 percent in math concepts and estimation and 66 percent in problem solving and data interpretation.

In reading comprehension, 66 percent of ninth-graders scored in the 50th percentile or above, compared to 75 percent in math concepts and estimation.

The district employs 63 certified staff members and 37 classified staff members.

(Editor's note: Due to concerns in response to a letter to the editor in the Dec. 31 edition of The Courier, this story is to clarify that the Hector School District will not be consolidated following the 2004-05 school year.)